Captured

The little demon pretended to be no match for Sha Wujing, and ran into the forest. Sha Wujing, seeing this, had no idea it was a trick and rushed over with the little demon.

As they all went further and further away, the old demon saw Tang Xuanzang sitting alone on his horse in mid-air, reached out his hand, and grabbed Tang Xuanzang in one fell swoop.

The old demon leaped down from the cloud, grabbed Tang Xuanzang, and brought him into the cave. He immediately exclaimed, "General!"

The little demon who had carried out the plan immediately stepped forward and knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, please don't address me as such, I cannot accept that title."

"Why do you say that? I've already said it before: if we can't capture Tang Xuanzang, that's fine, but if we do, I'll appoint you as a general."

After speaking, the old demon looked at the little demon with eyes full of admiration.

Upon hearing the old demon's words, the little demon immediately stood up and respectfully said to the old demon, "Your Majesty, please don't say anything more."

"Since things have come to this, you should quickly take Tang Xuanzang there. Let the servants wash the pots and boil water, and the two of us will eat his flesh and Changsheng together."

Upon seeing this, the old demon burst into laughter.

Upon hearing this, the little demon frowned and quickly advised the old demon, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid you cannot eat him now."

After the little demon finished speaking, the old demon asked the little demon with a puzzled look:

"Now that we've already caught him, why can't we eat him?"

Seeing this, the vanguard quietly approached the old demon and said to him:

"Your Majesty, if you wish to eat him, that's not impossible. However, if Sun Wukong finds out we've eaten Tang Xuanzang, he'll definitely come after us at all costs. So, we might as well wait a while."

After speaking, the old demon frowned, seemingly deep in thought. A short while later, he said to the little demon:

"Since that's the case, then tell me what we should do!"

Seeing the old demon's furrowed brows, the little demon dared not be careless and immediately said to the old demon:

"In my opinion, we should take Tang Xuanzang to the back garden, tie him to a tree, and not feed him for two or three days. First, to cleanse his stomach, and second, to ensure his disciples can't find him."

"We'll bring out Tang Xuanzang again after they go back. What do you think about using him?"

After hearing what the little demon said, the old demon nodded and then agreed, "What you said makes sense."

At a command, Tang Xuanzang was led into the backyard and tied to a tree with a rope. The lesser demons went to see what Tang Xuanzang looked like.

Tang Xuanzang, his face tightly bound with ropes, couldn't help but shed tears, and mumbled softly:

"My disciples, you are still in those mountains capturing monsters, but I have already been captured by one and am suffering here. When will we be able to reunite?"

Just as Tang Xuanzang was weeping bitterly, a person suddenly called out to Tang Xuanzang from the tree, "Monk, you've come in too?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang up at the person with a puzzled expression, and then asked, "Who exactly are you?"

"I was originally a farmer from the mountains. A few days ago, this monster captured me and tied me up here. It's been three days now, and they're planning to eat me!"

Upon hearing what Tang Xuanzang said, the farmer immediately replied to Tang Xuanzang.

After speaking, Tang Xuanzang shed tears and said to the farmer, "Farmer, you are still good, you are all alone and have no worries, but I died without knowing why. What should I do?"

Upon hearing this Tang Xuanzang, the farmer came to Tang Xuanzang 'Tang Xuanzang on the shoulder, and said, "Elder, you are a monk, you have no parents or wife, you are already dead, why do you care about these things?"

"You are unaware of this. I traveled from the Great Tang of the Eastern Lands to the Western Heaven Paradise to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. I am here on the Emperor's orders to help the wandering souls find peace. If I were to lose my life today, what would become of the other wronged spirits?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang earnestly explained to the farmers.

Upon hearing Tang Xuanzang's words, the farmer burst into tears and said to Tang Xuanzang:

"Elder Tang, your death was just as tragic. But I'm not much different from you. My father died when I was young, and I live with my mother now. I'm still unmarried and childless, and I have no family fortune."

"Now my mother is getting old, and I'm the only one taking care of her there. If I die then, who will take care of her in her old age and see her off in her final days?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang also burst into tears, saying loudly, "We are both unfortunate people, so pitiful! You are doing this for family, but I am doing it to repay a debt of gratitude!"

Meanwhile, Tang Xuanzang was suffering greatly, but Sun Wukong had already fought off the demons at the foot of the hill and rushed back, only to find that Tang Xuanzang had disappeared.

All that remained were the White Dragon Horse and the luggage. Sun Wukong hurriedly led the horse and carried the luggage as he searched the mountains.

A little while later, suddenly Zhu Bajie came running up, panting, and said to Sun Wukong, "Brother Monkey, what are you shouting about over there?"

Upon hearing Zhu Bajie's words, Sun Wukong quickly said to Zhu Bajie, "Master is gone now, have you seen him?"

"I was just a monk following Tang Xuanzang, and now you're playing tricks on me, making me some kind of general. I risked my life fighting that demon for half a day, and Master originally had you and Sha Wujing watching over him, but now you're asking about me."

After speaking, Zhu Bajie glared angrily at Sun Wukong.

Seeing Zhu Bajie's current state, Sun Wukong quickly smiled apologetically and said:

"Zhu Bajie, don't be angry right now. I'm not blaming you. Are you seeing things? You let the demon go back to capture Master, and I went to fight the demon while Sha Wujing watched over Master. But now Sha Wujing is gone too."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Bajie laughed and said to Sun Wukong, "Sha Wujing must have taken Master out for a stroll. I don't know where they went."

After a short while, Sha Wujing slowly arrived. Upon seeing Sun Wukong, Sha Wujing asked:

"Where has Master Sha Wujing gone? I've searched for ages and can't find him anywhere."

After hearing what Sun Wukong said, Sha Wujing replied, "You two are seeing things! You let the monster here to capture Sun Wukong. I just went to fight the demon; Master is still sitting on his horse."

After saying this, Sun Wukong flew into a rage and roared, "It's terrible! Master has been captured by the demon, and we've already started his scheme!"

"What exactly happened, Brother Monkey? Why would you say that? Could you explain it to us?"